Family Affairs
by Nerwen Faelvirin
Summary: [COMPLETE] Ginny moved out of the Burrow after an explosive argument with her mother and the Weasley family is torn apart. Rated PG-13 for some swearing.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This story came about as I was fuming about the way my family frustrates me. The story is based on some of the things I've been experiencing the past few months and my feelings on those situations. I hope that you can tell me how you feel about the story. Should I continue with it or should I just stop?  
  
Disclaimer: All the characters from the Harry Potter books belong to J.K Rowling and her publishers. I own nothing but the plot.  
  
Family Affairs  
  
When Draco got back to the apartment that Friday evening, he found Ginny sitting on the floor of the living room, her back against the wall. Her right arm was resting on her bent knees and a beer bottle was hanging loosely by her fingertips. Ginny brought a cigarette to her lips and sucked on it deeply, letting the smoke pass through her lungs. She blew out the smoke and put out the cigarette with her fingers. All the furniture in the room had been pushed to one side and shards of broken beer bottles littered floor, opposite Ginny. Draco sat down near her and waited to see what she would do next. Gulping down the beer from the bottle in her hand, she threw the empty bottle towards the enlarged picture of her family above the shards glass, shattering upon impact. The people in the picture were hiding in the corner, afraid to be hit.  
  
"I guess the meeting didn't go very well," he said softly, as he watched her open another bottle of beer and took a swig out of it.  
  
"To say that it was bad, is an understatement," she said, turning to look at him, her words were slurred and her voice was hoarse. When she brushed her hair away from her face, he saw that her eyes and nose were red and she was sniffling.  
  
Draco got up from where he was sitting and sat down next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders. "Tell me what happened honey," he said gently.  
  
"Ok", she said quietly and began recounting the incident that afternoon at the Burrow.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Ginny was packing her things into her trunk when her mom entered the room and demanded to know what she was doing.  
  
"Mom, I told you I was moving out three weeks ago," she said as she dumped the last of her things into her trunk. She then proceeded to shrink it till it was small enough to fit into her pocket.  
  
"Didn't I tell you that you're not going to do that? Why do you want to move out?" her mother asked, her face turning red. "Where are you going to stay? Who are you going to stay with?"  
  
"I told you three weeks ago that I was moving in with Draco. You didn't specifically tell me that I can't move out. All you said was that why should I move out when I can stay here, where all my food and laundry is provided," she said as she made her way past her mom and down stairs.  
  
"Don't you walk away from me young lady! I taught you better than that. It must be that Malfoy boy you're seeing. He's a bad influence!"  
  
Ginny whirled around and stared at her mother. "Don't you dare bring him into this! You don't even know him! You and dad both never took the initiative to get to know him. You either treat him like dirt or you totally ignore him. His mom treats me better than you treat him so don't say something you don't know anything about!"  
  
After that, the argument escalated into a shouting match and when Ron arrived home, he found his mother and his sister shouting at each other at the top of their lungs.  
  
"I don't understand you anymore!"  
  
"You never did! You never tried to understand me at all! I'm 23 years old and you still treat my like a kid! For fuck sakes, why can't you just realize that I'm not a little girl anymore!"  
  
"Don't you dare cuss in my house!"  
  
"That's just it! It's YOUR house! I never felt like I fitted in after my first year at Hogwarts. All of you made me feel like stranger in my own home! That's why I can't stay here anymore!" she screamed, stomping towards the door.  
  
"If you walk out of that door, don't you EVER think about coming back!" she heard her mother scream at her. Ginny was beyond caring and she apparated back to the apartment that she was sharing with Draco and started setting up wards against, all the Weasleys, Harry and Hermione.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Draco stroked her hair gently as Ginny finished telling him what happened that day. Ginny rested her head against his shoulder and toyed with the empty beer bottle in her hand.  
  
"She made me so angry! Sometimes I hate my family," she whispered as angry tears started to well up in her eyes.  
  
"Calm down baby. Don't let them get you down. It's not good for your health," he said softly, rubbing her back gently.  
  
"I know but I just can't help it. I really hate the way they treat you. I thought parents were supposed to set good example to their kids but I have know idea what they think their doing. Sometimes they seem to approve of me going out with you. Other times, they seem to be oblivious to the fact that I'm with you. It makes just so mad!"  
  
"Honey just relax. Forget about it. Things will be fine once your mom's cooled down. Now, let's get you into the bedroom. You've had enough beer for the month."  
  
Draco carried her into their bedroom and helped her change into her pyjamas before tucking her into bed. Once he was sure that she was asleep, he went back out to clean the living room. After the living was cleaned, he changed out of his clothes and went to bed, holding Ginny close and hoped that they'd have a quiet, uneventful weekend together.  
  
Unfortunately, early the next morning, their apartment was bombarded with owls from Ginny's brothers, Harry and Hermione. Ginny read the first owl from Charlie and burnt the rest of the letters. She wasn't in the mood to answer any of their questions or to explain why she left. After reading the first letter, she wrote a reply saying that she wanted to be left alone and didn't want to answer any of their questions yet. That stopped them from sending anymore owls and/or Howlers. She managed to spend the weekend with Draco, undisturbed.  
  
A few weeks later, her six older brothers descended on her at her office as she was about to leave for lunch. After letting her colleague know that she might be coming back from lunch late, she left with her brothers. They ended up at café that was near her work place. Sitting at the back of the café, they started to assault her with questions. She raised her hands to stop their questions and began explaining the whole incident.  
  
She was disappointed with most brothers' reactions. They, like their parents, thought that she was too young to be moving out of the house. She should just break things off with Draco and be a good little girl and move back home. The only one who was on her side was Ron as he almost a year older and he understood where she was coming from. Once she saw that Bill, Charlie, Percy and the Twins were adamant about wanting her to move back home, she stood up and left, no waiting for the food to arrive. She called her office to tell them that she taking the rest of the day off and apparated back home. She lay on the bed and cried till she felt asleep. That was how Draco found her, curled up in a ball in the middle of the bed and the corner of her eyes still wet with tears. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2******

Draco sat on the bed next to her and shook her awake. Ginny stirred and lay on her back, opening her eyes. Draco leaned over her and brushed her hair gently, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. He wiped away the remaining wetness at the corner of her eyes and asked, "What's wrong baby? You're home early today."

"Nothing, just felt like coming home early that's all," she said, sitting up. She looked at the digital clock on the bedside table and realized that she had been asleep for at least two hours. "It's almost dinner time, let me get up and prepare dinner." She was about to get up from bed when Draco placed a hand on her arm to stop her.

"It's alright. You still look tired. Why don't you go wash up and let me prepare dinner."

After getting her to agree, he watched her go into the bathroom before making his way to the kitchen. Even though Draco had grew up with house elves and had everything done for him, he had developed an interest in cooking after he moved out of the Manor to live on his own. Opening the cupboards and inspecting what he had available, he decided to make some lasagne and salad as it was Ginny's favourite and she looked like she needed some pick-me-up food.

When Ginny went into the kitchen some half hour later, she found the table was already set and jasmine scented candles were lit on the table. She went up to Draco who was tossing the Caesar's salad and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek.

"What are we having for dinner? It smells wonderful."

"I made your favourite. We'll be having dinner in a few minutes. Take a seat and I'll open a bottle of wine in a second." 

Putting the salad bowl onto the table, Draco went to the fridge and took out a bottle of wine that he had placed there earlier. He poured Ginny and himself a glass before checking on the lasagne in the oven. Once he was satisfied that it was done, he took it out of the oven and dinner was served. Through out dinner, Draco could sense that something was bothering Ginny from her forced laughter and her smile. He decided to talk to her about Ron's phone call earlier that day.

After cleaning up the table, Draco led Ginny to the living room and pulled her onto his lap and held her close.  He rubbed her back and kissed her hair and said, "Ginny, something's bothering you. Ron called me after lunch and said that you were upset with your brothers. Please tell me what's wrong." He heard her sigh and her breath hitched.

"The whole lot of them came by the office during lunch and dragged me to a café so that they can _'talk'_ to me. More like assault me with questions and try to force me go back to The Burrow. The only person who was on my side was Ron," she said softly, brushing away the tears that were streaming down her face.

Draco was thankful that he and Ron had settled their differences after they graduated from Hogwarts and Ron was not against Draco and Ginny dating. "Honey, I'm sorry that your other brothers feel the same way about you moving out as your mother. I know it hurts you that they act that way but I know they love you and they want to keep you safe."

"If they so much wanted to keep me safe, they shouldn't have let me go to Hogwarts in the first place! They should have just locked me in my room and never let me out! Why can't they see that I'm no longer a child?!"

"Let's just hope that when the do realise it, it's not too late." 

"I hope so too."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * * * * * * * * * *            ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The next few months were rather hard on Ginny as all her brothers except Ron kept sending her owls and sometimes even Howlers to tell her that she was a bad daughter and sister for not listening to their advice. Things got so bad that she even received Howlers at work and it became very disruptive that she had to quit her job before she got fired. Bill, Charlie, Percy and the Twins tried to see her but was refused entry into the apartment and was hexed few times before they decided that it was too dangerous to see her personally. The only ones who could visit her were Ron, Harry and Hermione. All three of them had accepted that she wanted to live her own life the way she wanted without her parents and older siblings dictating what she could or could not do. They also saw how much Draco and Ginny loved each other and counted on Draco to keep her happy.

About a week into September, Draco decided that he wanted Ginny to be in his life permanently. He patted his pocket to make sure that the ring was where it should be before he entered put the wards down and opened the door. He found Ginny pouring through the Daily Prophet's classified section, still looking for a job. When Ginny saw him come in, she jumped off the sofa and flew straight into his arms and landed kisses all over his face.

"What was that for?" Draco asked, laughing.

"Nothing, I just missed you that's all. Can't a woman greet the man that she loves with joy and kisses without being interrogated?" 

"I'm not saying that you can't. It's just that I was very pleasantly surprised with your reaction, that's all. What did you do today?"

"I was so bored that besides the usual chores like the laundry, the ironing and the cleaning, I rearranged our closet according to occasion and colour co-ordinated everything."

"You must have been really bored to do that." When he saw her nod, he burst out laughing and hugged her tightly. "Why don't we go out for dinner tonight? I know you're been locked up in here the whole day so, I want you to relax and enjoy yourself tonight."

"Sure, what's the occasion?"

"Nothing, just felt like it. Can't a man take the woman he loves out to dinner without being interrogated?"

Ginny stuck out her tongue at him for turning her line back on her and ran up the stairs to the bedroom to get ready for dinner. An hour later, Draco was sitting in the living room dressed in a pair of black pants and a black silk shirt, watching the Quidditch channel as he waited for Ginny to come down. He turned to the staircase when he heard her come down and his breath was caught in his throat. 

Ginny was gorgeous. Her burgundy hair fell in curly waves to her shoulders.  She was dressed in an elegant sleeveless silk dress of midnight blue that complemented her hair and her creamy skin. The dress fell to her knees and the V-neckline was not too low, ending just above her cleavage. Draco smiled when he noticed that she wore necklace an earring set that he had given her for her birthday. He stood up and whistled appreciating her beauty, causing her to blush slightly. 

Holding out his arm, he said, "My lady, your carriage awaits." 

He led her out of the door and to his silver Mercedes and drove them to a nice French restaurant that served the most sumptuous meals in the whole of London. The waiter led them to a private table at the back of the restaurant and took their order. Ginny enjoyed herself immensely, forgetting momentarily the problems she had with her family.

When the waiter brought in the desert, Ginny found a ring embedded on her chocolate and raspberry mousse cake. She looked up at the waiter in confusion but the waiter just smiled and left. She turned to look at Draco when she felt Draco take her hand in his. 

"Ginny, we've been together for two years and you are the most beautiful, loving, generous, caring and wonderful person I've ever known. I love you so much because you understand my like no one does. You accept me for who I am and all my faults. I can't live without you. Will you please marry me?"

Ginny was dumbfounded. She saw the sincerity and the love in his grey eyes. Tears welled up in her eyes and she was filled with so much love for him that she wanted to burst. When he lifted her hand up to his lips and kissed her knuckles, the dam burst and tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she answered his question.

"Draco, I love you just as much. I would be more than happy to be you wife."

Draco leaned across the table to kiss her fully on the lips before putting the ring into her finger, not caring that his elbow of his jacket was in his tiramisu. All that he cared was that Ginny had agreed to be his wife and his world was perfect.

During the drive back to their apartment, Ginny couldn't admiring her engagement ring. She was deliriously happy that Draco had asked her to marry him but she couldn't help but think how her family was going to react to the news. When they got home, they saw the answering machine blinking red. Ginny played the message and found it to be from Ron.

_"Hey Ginny, it's Ron. Mom's birthday's in two weeks and we're throwing her a party at The Burrow. Please come, I'd love to see my sister again. Bring the Ferret, I mean Draco with you. Hope to see you there. Oh, and Harry and Hermione are coming too."___

Ginny stood there staring at the answering machine for a full two minutes, thinking about the message. She felt Draco wrap his arms around her waist and turned to look at him and saw the question in his eyes. She just shook her head and deleted the message.

Later that night, Ginny lay on her right with her back against Draco's chest, his arm around her waist. She was still thinking about Ron's message when Draco's voice broke through her contemplation.

"Ginny?"

"Ummhmmm?"

"Are you going to you mom's party?"

"You heard the message didn't you?"

"It's hard not to hear when I was standing behind you. So, are you going?"

"I don't know. After the last argument I had with my mom, she specifically told me never to come back if I leave the house. I don't think that my parents or my brothers would be happy to see me. I don't think that they've forgiven me yet."

"What if they have? It's been a few months now, surely they already have. You won't know until you go."

"I'm not sure yet. I'll think about it."

"That's a good idea."

"I have another good idea."

"What's that?"

Ginny turned to her left side and rolled on top of him, kissing and nipping his neck.

"I think that's a great idea", Draco said before kissing Ginny passionately and showing her how much he loved her.

**A/N: Thanks to all the reviews that I got. They inspired me to wrote more for this story and I hope that this chapter isn't ****a disappoint****ment.******


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N : Thanks for all the reviews. I welcome constructive criticism from all of you__. S__ome of you are saying that Ginny's engagement seemed too quick for the story. When I came up with the idea for this story, it was meant to be concentrated mainly on Ginny's relationship with her family, how they treat her and her feelings about it. I'm sorry if some of you don't like it that way. __I hope that this chapter won't disappoint you.__ Thanks again for reviewing!___

**Family Affairs Chapter 3******

Ginny was nervous. The bed was piled with clothes that she had tried on in front of the mirror but decided not to wear. She had to find something that was appropriate to wear to The Burrow. She didn't want to get thrown out before she gave her mom the birthday gift.

"This one makes me look fat. That one makes me look too old. I can't wear that! My brothers and my parents will flip out! Damn it! What **CAN** I wear?" she said to her reflection.

"How about that dark blue skirt near the back of the closet and the white knitted top? It's fairly decent and it really looks good on you," her reflection said in a breathy voice.

Ginny tried in on in front of the mirror and nodded with approval. The dark blue pleated skirt fell to her knees. It wasn't tight nor to short. She was sure that it would pass the scrutiny that her mom and her over-protective brothers would give her. Her top fitted her just nicely and the neckline was just low enough to show the chain and pendant around her neck. She twirled around a bit more before picking up her wand to magic the discarded pile of clothes on her bed to return back into the closet. She put on her black pumps before grabbing her wand and purse to go down to the living room where Draco was waiting for her.

In the living room, she found Draco staring at the beautiful crystal vase, which he had bought for Ginny's mother, with lots of wrapping paper strewn around him. He looked up at her with such a forlorn look on his face that she felt sorry for him. She went over to him and kissed him on the top of his head and rested her cheek on his head.

"You could have just used your wand to wrap it. No one would know the difference."

"But I would! I want it to be perfect. I want her to like me, especially since we're going to get married soon," he answered dejectedly. 

"Ok, how about I help you with it. We still have about half an hour before we're leaving for The Burrow," she said looking at the clock.

Ginny sat down beside him and helped him out with the wrapping. Fifteen minutes, three rolls of sticky tape and seven wrapping papers later, the crystal vase was nice wrapped with a dark red wrapping paper with stars all over it. The top of the present was tied with a pink ribbon, tied by Draco. He looked at his handy work and smiled.

"It looks wonderful. I'm sure that my mom will love it," Ginny said, patting his hand gently.

"I hope so. I really hope that today will go well. I don't want to see you hurt Ginny," he said softly as he gently caressing her right cheek with his thumb.

"Me too, darling. Me too," she whispered.

Before the flooed to The Burrow, Ginny called Ron on his mobile to make sure that he was already there by the fireplace to act as buffer when she arrived. After checking that he was there, Ginny grabbed her purse, wand and the present that she was giving to her mom, she grabbed a handful of floo powder and threw it into the fireplace.

"The Burrow!" she shouted.

In the Burrow, Ron waited by the fireplace and when he saw the flames turn green, he quickly stood back to allow Ginny room to step out. Ginny stepped out of the fireplace gracefully and went over to Ron, who picked her up in big bear hug. Draco stepped out of the fireplace and found his fiancé almost crushed to death by her brother's hug. 

"Weasley, I think you should put her down now. She's turning slightly blue," Draco said.

Ron was so shocked by Draco's sudden appearance that he nearly dropped his sister.

"Malfoy, don't sneak up on people like that," Ron growled as he put Ginny down gently.

Draco just smirked at the auburn-haired young man and held his hand out to Ginny. "Where's Granger and Potter?" he asked when he had Ginny safely in his arms.

"They're all in the garden setting up the table and stuff. Dad took mum out for a movie so that we can surprise her when she gets back," Ron explained, leading them to the backyard.

The three of them stood at the back door of the house, surveying the flurry of activity in the garden. Ginny's brothers were setting up the tables and chairs while Hermione and Harry were hanging up decorations through out the backyard. One by one, they stopped when they realised that Ginny was there, along with Malfoy.

"What's he doing here?" George asked, pointing at Draco.

"I brought him. Besides, Ron invited him to come," Ginny said, lifting her chin up in defiance. She turned to look at Ron and found him smiling very sheepishly at the rest of them, his face bright tomato red.

The rest of the Weasley brothers started shouting at Ron at the same time. They dropped what ever they were holding and moved towards Ron in anger. Seeing their anger, Ron moved back a step and all the blood from his face drained.

"STOP IT! YOU ARE NOT GOING TO HIT RON OR DRACO TODAY IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU!" Ginny screamed at her brothers, brandishing her wand around.

Her brothers stopped their advance and looked anxiously at each other. They knew how merciless and mean Ginny could be when she lost her temper and from the way she looked, she was very close to blowing her top. Her face was flushed and the air around her was cackling with energy. Ginny's brown eyes were alight with fire, burning into Bill, Charlie, Percy and the Twins. 

"Will you behave yourselves tonight?" she asked, having cooled down slightly. Fearing that she would hex them till next week, her brothers nodded their heads reluctantly.

"Now, lets get the decorations and tables set before she comes home," Ginny said after taking a deep breath and brushing her fingers through her hair. She grabbed Draco by the hand and led him to the decorations around the garden and started to charm the streamers to hand themselves. Taking the cue form Ginny, everyone went back to what ever they were doing.

When everything was set, Ginny inspected the garden with a critical eye. The sun was setting and candles were lit and charmed to float about the garden. Hermione, Ginny and her brother's wives set the table while the men brought out the food. In the kitchen, Harry and Ron had to act as Draco's bodyguards as the Twins kept charming the sharp items to fly at Draco. Bill, Charlie and Percy gave Draco the cold shoulder, pretending that he wasn't in the room.

"Why don't you take this and wait outside with the girls and will handle the rest," Harry suggested after pushing Draco out of the path of a flying cleaver. Draco nodded and took the large platter of herbed potatoes into the garden, away from the angry Weasleys.

In the garden, Ginny was folding the napkins and placing them by the dinner plates when Bill's wife, Andrea, came up to her and asked, "Ginny, why _did_ you bring Malfoy today?"

Ginny stopped what she was doing and sighed. She turned to he petite brunette and said, "I wanted my parents and my brothers to accept that we're together because we love each other. Not because he put a spell on me or anything."

"I know that they've been giving you a very bad time since you moved out. I just want you to know that I and the other Weasley women support you even though your brothers don't. We don't want to see you get hurt, that's all," Andrea said, squeezing Ginny's hand gently. "Your man is making his way here with the potatoes," she continued, looking pointedly beyond Ginny's shoulder.

Ginny turned and saw Draco smiling and walking towards her with a large platter. He placed the potatoes on the table and went over to her to kiss her lips gently. Ginny looked up and smiled, thinking how much she loved that man. Totally forgetting that her sister-in-law was standing behind her, she trailed her finger long his jaw line, his lips and his ears. She stopped her trailing fingers when she realised that his ear was bleeding. She pushed him into a chair and inspected his bleeding ear closely. 

"What's wrong honey?" Draco asked, puzzled.

"Why's your ear bleeding?" she asked.

Draco touched his ear gingerly and looked at the blood smeared on his fingertips. He just shrugged and said, "I guess I didn't dodge that cleaver fast enough."

"Cleaver? What cleaver?" she asked, her voice and temper rising. 

"Cleaver, did I say cleaver? I mean… I mean…." he trailed off as Ginny stood up and started walking towards the kitchen where yelling could be heard.

"Did the Twins do something?" Andrea asked, handing him a tissue to clean the small cut.

"They kind of charmed the sharp utensils to fly at me," he said softly. He cringed when he heard Ginny screaming at the Twins. "I hate to be in their shoes right now," he continued. Just then, the yelling stopped and Ginny walked out of the kitchen, smiling. Behind her, two identical red weasels came running out to Fred and George's wife, Angelina and Katie. Seeing the weasels, Draco burst out laughing and shook his head at her. 

"Are those who I think they are?" Andrea asked.

"Yep. Don't worry; the charm will wear off in five minutes. We better get the table all set before mom and dad come home," Ginny said before shouting to the kitchen to get the rest of the men to bring out the food.

Fifteen minutes later, the garden and the tables were set and everyone was standing in the living room, waiting for Mr and Mrs Weasley's return.  There was a very noticeable division of the group of people in the living room, Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred and George stood on one side of the living room with their wives while Ron, Harry, Hermione, Ginny and Draco stood on the other side. Ginny's brothers were shooting Draco with dark looks and when Ginny noticed what they were doing, she plastered herself against Draco and brought his face down for a passionate kiss, just to rile her brothers. When Ginny ended the kiss, Draco had a dreamy look on his face and the older Weasley brothers tried to storm over and pound him to the ground but were stopped by their wives. Fortunately nothing else happen as at that moment, Mr and Mrs Weasley stepped out of the floo network and into the living room.

Ginny and Draco hung at the back of the room, readying herself for her mother's reaction. The group suddenly parted and Mrs Weasley stood at the centre of the room, staring at Ginny and Draco. She gave Ginny the once-over and shot Draco a murderous glare.

"So, you've come back. Why are you here and with him to boot?" she said.

"It's your birthday mom. Ron said they were throwing a party and he invited Draco as well," Ginny answered.

"Well, I don't want either of you in my house. Get out! Get out of my house, both of you! I told you not to come back!"

"Now calm down Molly. That boy is a guest in our house, we can't throw him out. Besides, it's your birthday. Just calm down and have some dinner," Arthur said, rubbing his wife's back and steering her towards the garden.

Draco hugged Ginny to his side as they watched her brothers walked pass and sneered at them, shoving Draco none to gently to the side. Harry and Hermione gave her a reassuring hug before going into the garden with the rest of them. Ron shook his head at his family and hugged Ginny closely, rubbing her back slowly. 

"I'm sorry Ginny. I didn't think that she would still be angry at you. I'm so sorry Gin," Ron whispered.

"It's alright Ron. It's now your fault. Besides, there's something I need to tell the family."

"You're not pregnant are you?" Ron asked, looking into her eyes.

"No, no. It's something else. I'm alright. Why don't you go and sit down first. I'll be out in a bit."

"Ok but hurry or there'll be no food left," Ron said, kissing her forehead before going into the garden.

After Ron left, Ginny turned to Draco and wrapped her arms around him. She buried her face into his chest and inhaled his scent and cologne. It helped calm her down slightly. She felt so safe and loved in his arms, unlike how she felt when she was still living in The Burrow. She just didn't understand why her parents couldn't see that she was no longer a child. She sighed and hugged him tighter.

"Hang in there love. I'm sure that dinner will be better," he said, stroking her hair.

"I hope so."

~ ~

Dinner was horrendous. Through out the meal, Mrs Weasley made sarcastic comments about Ginny and Draco. Ginny picked at her food trying not to listen to her mother's comments. Under the table, Draco held her hand and caressed her knuckles with his thumb, trying to calm her down. It wasn't until Mrs Weasley said something bad about Draco's mother that her temper broke. She stood up so quickly that her chair fell backwards onto the grass, causing all conversation to stop.

"Damn it mom! Don't drag Draco's mom into this! She's got nothing to do with my decision to move out!" she yelled across the dinner table, the breeze picking up, causing her hair to whip her face. 

"Don't swear at your mother! It's that boy. You never used to swear until you met up with him. It's all that boy's fault. That boy's a bad influence on you," her dad said.

Ginny laughed harshly and said, "He has a name dad and it's not That Boy. It's Draco. Say it with me, Dra-Co."

"Don't you smart mouth me missy," her dad said, standing up.

"Well, I wouldn't have to if you would just say his name," Ginny said. Draco stood up and placed hand on her arm to calm her down.

"Get your filthy hands off my daughter!" Mr Weasley shouted at him.

"He can put his hands anywhere he wants since we're going to get married," she said, smirking at her family.

At that comment, the table went into an uproar. All her brothers stood up and started shouting at her at the same time.

"**STOP IT! STOP IT NOW!**" she screamed. "I'm going to marry him and that's final!"

"No daughter of mine is marrying a Malfoy!" her mom spoke up.

"Mother, I love him and he loves me. I want to marry him and all I ask is for you to be happy for me. It's my decision to make and I hope that you respect it."

"You are not marrying that Malfoy boy and that is final!" her mother yelled, her face all red and she was shaking with anger.

"Mom, please. I love him as much as you love dad. At least open you presents first."

She summoned the presents that she and Draco had brought and placed it in front of her mother. 

"Happy birthday mom," she said. She tried to give her mother a kiss on the cheek but her mother moved away, leaving her standing alone. She turned and walked back Draco's side. 

"Please open the presents. It's from both of us," Ginny said.

After much urging by Mr Weasley, Mrs Weasley opened both presents and found a beautiful crystal vase and a knitted jumper with MOMMY on the front. She knew that the vase had cost a fortune and that her daughter had knitted the jumper just for her but her anger was too great and it couldn't be ignored. 

"This is what I think about your presents," she said harshly. She threw the vase at Draco's feet and it shattered, causing the shards of crystal to cut Ginny's legs. Mrs Weasley then proceeded to set the jumper on fire and throwing it at their feet.

Ginny felt her already wounded heart, shatter. She fought back her tears and her rigid posture belied her sadness and disappointment. She straightened her clothes and said, "Since we're not welcomed here, I bid you good night and we'll leave." She turned and led Draco back towards the house to floo back because she didn't think she could concentrate enough to apparate back o their apartment.

"If you marry that boy, you're no longer my daughter," she heard her mother shout, causing her to stop walking. There was a collective gasp from everyone present.

"Molly, don't make hasty decisions," her father admonished. "I'm sure that we can work this out."

"I'm serious Arthur. If she leaves tonight with that boy and marry him, I no longer have a daughter, only six sons," her mother said.

All of Ginny's brothers, their wives, Harry, Ron and Hermione, looked at her expectantly. She gave them all a small sad smile and turned to Draco. She looked into his eyes and knew what her decision would be. Ginny took Draco's hand and led him back to the house.

"Ginny, wait!" Ron shouted for his sister, standing up from his seat.

"Ron, if you go after her, you may not be welcomed back to the family," his mother warned.

Ron looked from his mother to Ginny and back, not sure what to do. He felt and a hand on his arm and looked down to find Hermione shaking her head at him, stopping him from going after Ginny. He sat back down and sighed dejectedly. 

"Now, how about some cake?" his mother asked cheerfully, looking at what was left of her family.

~ * ~

Back in the house, Ginny quickly flooed back to their apartment, wanting to get away from her mother as soon as possible. Once back in their apartment, Ginny let her tears flow freely and she sat down on the couch, not having the energy to go up to the bedroom.

When Draco stepped out of the fireplace, he saw her sitting limply on the couch with tears down her face. He scooped her up and went up to their bedroom. He placed her on the bed and helped her out of her clothes before cleaning the cuts on her legs from the shards of crystals. Satisfied that it wasn't serious, he helped her get under the covers and changed out of his clothes before joining her in bed. 

He held her close as she cried herself out, rubbing her back gently to calm her down. After twenty minutes crying, Ginny finally fell asleep in his arms. Draco stroked her hair softly and kissed her forehead.

"I'll take care of you Ginny. I love you so much," he whispered to her.

"I love you too," he heard her mumble sleepily.

Smiling in the dark, Draco snuggled Ginny closer to his body and drifted off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4******

Ron was saddened and disappointed by his family's reactions to Ginny's announcement. Even though he would have preferred Ginny marry someone other than Malfoy, he could see that Malfoy loved Ginny as much as she loved him. He treated Ginny very well and he seemed to care very much for her. Ron did not understand why his family could not see how happy they were together. Ron still could not believe that his mother, Mrs Molly Weasley, the one that accepted Harry Potter as one of her own, would just disown her one and only daughter just because Ginny was in love with someone she did not approve. Given that Malfoy's father was a Death Eater and was Voldermort's right hand man but Draco himself was not, in anyway, part of it. Draco had fled with his mother to Hogwarts when Lucius demanded he join Voldermort and threatened to kill his mother if he refused. Draco had fought along side Ron and Harry in the final battle, saving their lives once or twice. Ron thought that it was not fair to Malfoy to make him accountable for his father's sins. As he crawled into bed after seeing Hermione home at the end of the party, Ron prayed that his family would come to their senses and realise their mistake.

Early the next morning, Ron was awakened by the sounds of hammer banging on something down in the den. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he went down to den to see who was making all that ruckus so early on Saturday. He found his mother standing in front of the family clock with a pair of pliers, trying to remove Ginny's clock arm (a/n: the one with her picture on it). 

"Mum, what are you doing so early in the morning?" he asked.

"Just doing some cleaning. Throwing away trash that we don't need anymore," she said nonchalantly.

"But that's Ginny's picture on the clock. You can't remove that! It's for family!" he exclaimed, no longer sleepy at all.

"Exactly and she's no longer part of the family, is she?"

"But mum! She's still your daughter!"

His mother whipped around and faced him, anger burning in her eyes. "She showed us all last night that That Boy is a lot more important than family. She's no longer fit to be a Weasley if she keeps associating herself with that Malfoy boy!" she said, spitting out the word Malfoy.

"Mother, can't you see that they love each other? He takes very good care of her and he makes her happy."

"ENOUGH! I'm through discussing this with you. I want you to take that bag over there and clean out That Girl's room. Anything that belongs to her, put in the bag. Once everything is removed, burn it."

"But mum, Ginny – "

"Don't you dare mention that ungrateful girl's name in my house! She's no longer part of this family. If we had a family tapestry as the Blacks do, I would have burnt her name off it the moment she left with That Boy. Now go and clean out Her room."

Knowing that the topic was closed, he picked up the rather large burlap bag and went to Ginny's room. He could still smell her perfume faintly in the air. Her room was neat and almost empty. Her vanity table was devoid of any cosmetics and her closet was half-empty. Ron sat on the bed and shook his head.

 _Mum's making me empty out Ginny's room and burn all her stuff. I can't do that! She might still want her some of the things here,_ Ron thought. 

After thinking for a few minutes, an idea popped in his head and he ran back to his room to grab his wand. He shrank all if Ginny's items in the room and placing it in the bag before making a duplicating spell. He put the original bag of items under his bed and brought down the duplicate. His mother had finally gotten Ginny's clock arm off the clock and handed it to him.

"Take this and the bag outside and burn it. I don't want any trace of Her left in this house," Molly Weasley said.

"Yes mum." Ron went out to the garden. Once he was sure that his mother couldn't see what he was about to do, he made a duplicate of the clock arm and put the original in his pyjama pocket. He went to the far end of the garden and dumped the duplicates unceremoniously on the ground before setting it alight. Behind him, his mother stood by the kitchen door, watching the fire burn and thinking to herself, _What have I done?_

After lunch that day, Ron took the burlap bag and stuffed it into his backpack that could fit almost anything of almost any size in it and left the house.

"Where you going Ron?" he heard his mother shout from the kitchen.

"Going to meet Harry mum! I'll be back in a bit!" he yelled back before apparating to Ginny's place.

He apparated right to her doorstep and rang the bell, shifting the weight of the backpack on his shoulders. He hoped that Ginny wasn't angry with him for not standing up for her when she was arguing with their mother. The door opened and Malfoy stood there, staring at him.

"Malfoy," Ron said in way of greeting.

"Weasley," Draco replied.

"Is my sister in? I need to talk to her."

"I thought since she was disowned by the family, she's not your sister anymore."

"Hey! Even though I'm not too keen on her marrying you but I can see that you love each other. No matter what my family says, she's still my sister and I love her!"

Draco looked at him, gauging to see if he was telling the truth, and moved to the side to let Ron in. "She's upstairs, the bedroom on the left," Draco said, closing the door behind him.

"Thanks," Ron said before going upstairs to look for his sister.

In the bedroom, Ginny was lying down on her side, looking out of the window. Her cheeks were wet from crying, every time she thought about what her mother said the night before. Ron knocked on he opened door of the bedroom and said, "Ginny?"

"Ron?" she said, turning to her right and found her brother standing at her bedroom door, looking very worried. "Ron? Is that you?" she said again, getting off the bed and walking towards him.

Ron waked quickly towards her and enveloped her in a big hug. He dropped his backpack and wrapped both his arms around her, whispering apologies into her ear.

"I'm so sorry Gin. I'm so sorry for not standing up for you. I would have run after you but she wouldn't let me. I'm so sorry," he said, hugging her tighter. In his arms, he could feel Ginny's body racking with sobs and her tears were seeping through his shirt. He didn't care about the shirt, he didn't care that his mother might throw him out of the house if she knew he went to see Ginny. All that he cared was that his baby sister was crying and he wanted to make her feel better.

"Ginny, don't cry. I'm here. I love you baby sister. I don't care what mum says. You're my baby sister and you always will be," he said softly, rubbing her back gently to calm her down. He led her to the bed and they both sat down, his arms still around her.

"What are you doing here Ron? Won't she get angry if she finds out you're here?" Ginny asked, looking at her brother.

"I don't really care what she thinks. I came to bring you some stuff from The Burrow. She wanted to remove all of your stuff and burn them. She even removed this," Ron said, taking the clock arm from his pocket and handing it to her. Ginny gasped and tears started to well up in her eyes again. Ron brushed away the tears with his thumb and kissed her forehead.

 "I brought all your stuff and the things you made from The Burrow. I burnt the duplicate of those things so she won't suspect anything," he continued. He reached into his backpack and pulled the burlap bag out. He began unshrinking everything in the burlap bag and giving it to her. After fifteen minutes, the bed was covered with her stuffed toys, clothes and other miscellaneous items that Ron had brought with him. After the last item was removed from the bag and placed on the bed, Ginny threw herself at Ron and gave him a big hug.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love you Ron!" she exclaimed.

He hugged her back and said, "It's nothing. I just wanted my baby sister to be happy and I know that the Ferret makes you happy." That earned him a playful smack on the arm. He smiled at her and continued, "If the family hasn't come to their senses by your wedding, I'll walk you down the aisle."

"Thank you Ron. That means a lot to me," she said, smiling tremulously and trying hard not to cry.

Draco, who was standing by the bedroom door, cleared his throat to get their attention. "Dinner's ready. Weasley, stay for dinner. I've cooked more than enough for the three of us," he said.

"You, Draco _'that's what house elves are for'_ Malfoy, can cook?" he asked disbelievingly. "You sure I won't get food poisoning?" he turned to ask his sister.

Ginny just laughed and pulled him up. "He's actually quite good. His lasagne is to-die-for. Please say you'll stay for dinner?" she asked.

"Since you asked so nicely," Ron said, praying silently that what ever it was that the Ferret had cooked, wouldn't kill him.

At the end of dinner, Ron was suitably impressed with Draco's culinary skills. Ginny was right, that Ferret _ca__n_ cook. Draco's pasta could almost rival Mrs Weasley's. Almost. Ron looked at his watch and realised that he needed to back home before his mother started nagging him for coming home so late. Ginny and Draco walked Ron to the door and bid him good-bye. He kissed Ginny on the cheek and turned to Draco. 

"I take care of my sister. If you hurt her…….." He left the threat hanging as he stared into Draco's cool grey eyes.

"Don't worry Weasley. I'll take good care of her, as if she'll have it any other way. We both know how good she is with hexes," Draco said, smirking proudly at the love of his life.

Ron smiled at the couple and waved at them once more before apparating back to The Burrow.

When he opened the front door, he saw his mother sitting in the couch, looking angry. She turned to look at him when he stepped through the door and said, "Sit."

Not knowing what was going on, he sat down on the sofa and looked at his mother bewilderedly. He turned and looked at his brothers and his father and saw them frowning at him. His sisters-in-law were noticeably absent. _This isn't good_, he thought. 

"Where did you go?" his mother asked.

"I went to see Harry," he replied.

"Don't lie to me! He came by two hours after you left looking for you. He said that you didn't come by his apartment at all and that you hadn't made plans to meet up with him. Did you go and see That Girl?" 

When Ron remained silent, his mother stood up from her seat and stalked over to him. "Answer me! Did you go to meet her?"

"Yes," he said softly.

"Why?"

"I went to pass Ginny - "

A loud smack resounded throughout the living room as his mother slapped his face. "I told you never to mention Her name in this house."

Ron touched his red cheek and looked at his mother, his temper rising. "Even if you deny that she's your daughter, she will always be my one and only sister. You can destroy everything she left behind in this house and she would still be your daughter. She will always be Ginny Weasley."

"Don't say that whore's name in my house!" his mother screamed.

"She's not a whore! Just because she moved in with her boyfriend doesn't mean she's a whore!" he yelled back.

"Only a whore will marry a Malfoy!" screamed his mother.

"Mother! If you, all of you, would just open your eyes, you would see how much they love each other. You would see how happy she is with him."

"So you're saying that she's not happy here?" his father asked.

"How can she be happy when you treat her like she's six?"

"After what happened during her first year-"

Ron cut his father of and said, "She's 23. She's no longer a helpless eleven year old anymore dad.  She's an adult who can look after herself. Besides, Malfoy would rather cut his right hand off first before letting anything happen to her."

"My decision is final. Since she thinks that That Boy is better than family, then she's no longer Weasley. If you want to be with her, you're more than welcomed to move out of the house," his mother said, folding her arms across her chest.

"Molly, that is harsh. You've already cut G-That Girl off from the family. Don't do this again," Mr Weasley said, trying to calm his wife down from the death glare she gave him when he nearly said Ginny's name.

"That's his decision," she said nodding her head towards Ron. "If he wants to be with his sister, then let him."

"I'll go get my things now. I don't think I can live here anymore either. Not when you're calling my sister a whore just because you don't like her fiancé's father," Ron said.

"You would do well to remember that it was his father that caused the incident in your second year," his father said angrily.

"But he's not his father is he?" Ron said quietly and made his way up the stairs to his room.  After fifteen minutes, all of his things in his room were shrunk and stored in his old school trunk. He shouldered his Firebolt Extreme 5000 and dragged his trunk down the stairs. He stopped by the clock to remove his clock arm as his family looked on. His brothers looked like they were about to say something but was silenced by their mother's glare.

At the door, he turned to look at his family and said, "There's one last thing I have to do before I leave. _Accio_ Ginny's and Ron's pictures!"

All of the family photos with Ginny in them flew out of their frames and albums, into Ron's open backpack. After making sure that no more photos were flying, he zipped the bag up and put it on. He turned to face his mother and said, "I had to rescue them before you started burning everything with Ginny and me in them. Goodbye Weasleys." He pulled his trunk along with him and secured it to his broom. He kicked off the ground and headed to the only people who understood him.

_A/N: Yes, another update. I hope you liked the chapter. Please read and review. I know __it__ sounds kind of weird but I almost cried when I was writing this because I could see how the scene was going to play out in my head, especially when Ron went to see Ginny. Please tell me what you think. I really love reading you reviews, so make my day and review. ___


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5******

Harry waited in front of the fireplace anxiously, pacing back and forth. The orange fire flared up and turned green signalling that someone was about to step through the fire. Hermione stepped up hurriedly and looked like she had dressed in a hurry. Her face was void of any make up and her hair was tied up in a messy ponytail. Dressed in a simple shirt and jeans, she quickly brushed off the soot and looked up.

"Where is he?" she asked Harry, worry evident in her voice.

"In the study, going through my liquor cabinet like there's no tomorrow," Harry replied, leading her up the stairs. Harry had inherited 12, Grimmauld Place after Sirius' death and had renovated it into a comfortable home.

"Did he say anything when he arrived?"

"Not much, just that he got thrown out of The Burrow. Then he headed straight for the strong liquor."

"Oh dear. Do you think we should call Ginny? She has a right to know what happened," Hermione asked as they stopped before the door of the study.

"We'll talk to him first then we call Ginny," Harry said, stepping into the room.

Ron turned when he heard them come in and smiled, swaying slightly on his feet.

"Hermione! It's so good to see you, love. I was wondering when you would arrive," Ron said, dropping into the sofa. He drank the whisky straight form the bottle, ignoring the glass on the table. Harry left discreetly to send a floo message to Ginny.

"Ron, what happened? Please tell me. You don't usually drink. Is something wrong?" Hermione said to him softly as she sat down next to him.

"Nothing much happened. I came back from visiting Ginny and my mom threw me out of the house. Oh, and she called Ginny a whore." Ron frowned at the empty whisky bottle and shrugged. He dropped it on the floor and stood up to look for more liquor to drown his sadness but Hermione prevented him from moving towards the liquor cabinet. She pulled him to sit down and laced her fingers through his.

"Oh Ron. Why did you do that? You _know_ your mother's not happy with Ginny then why did you go and see Ginny in the first place?" Hermione asked.

"Because she was going to destroy every single thing in the house that belonged to Ginny! She even removed Ginny's clock hand from the family clock!" Ron roared at her, pulling his hand away from hers and stood up. "She made me clear out all of Ginny's things and burned them. I couldn't do that. Ginny will always be my sister no matter what my mother says. I can't just cut her away from my life! Ginny's my one and only sister, my baby sister! I had to save her things. I had to give it to her. I had to see her to apologise for not standing up for her during the party. I felt so guilty. You shouldn't have stopped me Hermione."

"I'm sorry but if I hadn't, your mother would have thrown you out earlier and you wouldn't be able to save all Ginny's things," Hermione said softly.

"I know Hermione, I know. I'm just angry with them for doing this to Ginny. She deserves to be happy," Ron said, dropping back into his seat and rubbing his face with his hands. 

Hermione moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around Ron. "I know she deserves it. We all do Ron. I'm glad that you stood up for Ginny and cared so much about her. It makes me love you even more," she whispered to him. "I love you Ronald Weasley."

"I love you too Hermione Granger. Would you still marry me even though my parents disown me? I've got nothing except the things I brought with me and some money in Gringotts."

"Is that a proposal?"

"I guess it is."

"Well, Mr Weasley, I'm in love with you, not your family. Then the answer is yes, I will marry you."

Ron pulled Hermione into a hug, inhaling the scent of flowers from her hair. "I love you so much."

"I know baby. I love you too."

They broke apart when they heard footsteps entering the room. Looking up, Ron saw Ginny standing at the door. Ron stood up and looked at her, waiting for her reaction. Ginny ran to her brother and threw her arms around him. Hermione, Harry and Draco left the room, giving the two siblings some privacy.

"I'm so sorry Ron, so sorry. I didn't know she would go this far. If had known, I wouldn't have moved out," Ginny cried. For the second time that day, Ron felt her tears seep through his shirt.

"Shhh baby sister, don't cry. There's nothing to be sorry for honey. Ginny, all I want is for you to be happy. Staying at home wasn't making you happy. I would have helped you moved out too if you had told me."

"Why does she do this to s Ron? Doesn't she love us anymore?"

"I don't know Ginny. I honestly don't know. I've never seen her act that way, even when Percy was being an idiot back in my fifth year."

"We don't have a family anymore Ron."

"We have Harry, Hermione and Malfoy. They're all the family we need and we have each other. No matter what happens, you will always be my sister."

"You will always be my brother Ron. I love you big brother.'"

"I love you to baby sister."

~ ~ ~

Down in the kitchen, Harry, Hermione and Draco sat around the kitchen table with mugs of strong tea in hand.

"I shouldn't have asked her if she wanted to move in with me," Draco sighed, staring into his half empty mug. "Then all of this wouldn't have happened. It's all my fault."

"Malfoy, it's not your fault. Neither of us had seen Ginny happier than when she's with you. Both of us had seen how everyone in their family, except Ron, treats her like a kid even though she's legally and adult. She had tried once to move out of the house before both of you got together but was guilt tripped by her mother into staying," Harry said.

"Harry's right Draco. I think that things would have been far worse if she had continued to stay there. She might have hexed her mother if she was pushed to far. We know that you love each other very much and we want her to be happy," Hermione added.

"Thank you. I will try my best to keep her happy always. Every time after each confrontation with her family, she cries herself to sleep and it breaks my heart when that happens. Now, not only was she disowned, her brother's in the same predicament as well. What if she hates me because of that?" Draco asked, rubbing his face wearily.

"Don't beat yourself up about it Malfoy. It was my choice and I'm going to live with it. What's important is that my sister happy. You had better make sure that she stays happy," Ron said from the kitchen door, his arms around Ginny's shoulders.

"Draco looked up and saw Ginny smiling at him. "I don't blame you for anything Draco. In fact, I want to thank you for giving me the strengthening my resolve to move out of the house. I love you," Ginny said, sitting down on his lap.

"I love you too Ginny," Draco said softly.

Just then, their quiet moment was interrupted b the arrival of Erwin, the Weasleys' family owl after Errol's demise. The owl dropped a howler in front of Ginny and flew back out into the night. Not wanting to delay the inevitable, Ginny opened the envelope and her mother's voice boomed out.

_"YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF! POISONING YOU BROTHER AGAINST THE FAMILY! DON'T YOU DARE COME CRAWLING BACK HERE IF _**_THAT BOY_**_ LEAVES YOU FOR ANOTHER WHORE! YOU AND THAT BROTHER OF YOURS WILL _**_NEVER_**_ BE WELCOMED BACK HERE!__ "_

The envelope burst into flames on the table as Ginny looked on. She got up from Draco's lap, took a washcloth from the sink and wiped off the ashes. She stood at the sink and sighed, "I was afraid that she was going to do that."

"Honey…" Draco began.

"It's alright. I'm going to be fine," Ginny interrupted. She turned to look at the people around the kitchen and said, "All of you are the only family I have left."

"We're all the family you need Ginny. We're all the family you need," Ron said, gathering her into a hug.

~ * ~

Over the next few months, Ginny was too busy getting ready for her wedding to think about her mother and the rest of the Weasley family. Ron had moved in with Hermione after getting permission from Mr Granger to marry his daughter. Hermione was going to be Ginny's maid of honour so Ginny, Hermione and Draco's mother, Narcissa, would get together and discuss the wedding plans every other week. It was after one of these meetings that Draco took Ginny out for lunch to spend some time with her. He had been busy the past few weeks too and rarely saw her except when she was asleep.

They went to Draco's favourite café near Diagon Alley and sat down, looking through the menu. After ordering, Ginny leaned back on her chair and sighed. "I'm so tired. Your mother and Hermione ganged up on me and made me try on all those dresses," she said.

Draco chuckled and asked, "How many dresses did they make you try?"

"35! They made me try 35 dresses! Thank God, you came by. They would have put me into more dresses if you hadn't come by to rescue me."

"It couldn't be that bad."

"Do you know how heavy those dresses are?! I could barely stand after the last one. I'm so hungry, I could as much as Ron right now."

Draco laughed and patted her hand fondly and asked, "So what has your brother been up to?"

"Nothing much. He's not driving Hermione mad too badly and she keeps him in line. They're very happy and their wedding is going to be next summer." 

The waiter then arrived with their order and conversation drifted to what they had been doing the past week. Ginny was half way through telling Draco about her week when she saw a familiar red-haired person walking down the street in her direction. Seeing that Ginny had stopped talking and staring beyond his shoulder, Draco turned around and saw Mr Weasley walking in the direction towards them. 

Arthur stopped in his tracks when he saw them. He had a very indecisive look on his face, not knowing whether to ignore them or to go over to talk to them. He gave them a small smile and was about to walk towards them when he turned back, as if someone had called him. Both Ginny and Draco saw Molly walk up to him. Fortunately, Arthur was blocking Molly's view of the couple. Arthur turned around and gave them an apologetic smile before leading his wife away from Ginny and Draco, not wanting a public scene.

Draco turned back to Ginny and found her looking sadly into her food. She was no longer eating but just pushing the bits of food around her plate.

"You alright Ginny?"

"I'm ok. My father didn't look that angry anymore doesn't he?"

"It looks that way. I'm sure he would have come and talk to us if your mother wasn't here. He still loves you honey, he was just angry that's all."

"I hope you're right Draco. I hope you're right."

~ ~ ~

On the wedding day, Ginny was pacing nervously in front of the mirror already dressed in her dress. The dress was a simple silk sheath with thin shoulder straps. Her veil was thrown back and tendrils of hair tickled her cheek.

"Ginny stop pacing. You're going to crease your dress," Hermione said, trying to get Ginny to calm down. "Are you nervous about marrying Draco?"

"It's not that. They're not here yet. Do you think they're coming?"

"I'm sorry Ginny. I don't think they are. Ron did try to talk to them after they sent back the invitation cards but she threw him out. I'm sorry Ginny."

Ginny looked at her sadly and sighed. There was a knock on the door and Hermione went to open it. Ron stood at the doorway, taking in how good Hermione looked in her dress. 

"They're not coming are they Ron?" Ginny asked sadly.

"I'm sorry, love. I don't think they are." Ron cupped Ginny's face and tilted it up to look into her eyes. "You look beautiful today. It's their loss that they can't see how beautiful you look."

"I love you Ron. You're the best."

"I love you to Ginny. Now, lets get down there. I'm sure Malfoy's getting worried that you're going to call off the wedding." Ginny smiled as Ron led her to the Malfoy family chapel.

Ginny's beauty astounded Draco when she entered the chapel. She was simply stunning in the simple white dress. He felt so blessed to have her love and that she was going to be his wife. She smiled shyly to him as he took her hand from Ron.

"Who gives this woman away?" the minister asked.

Before Ron could answer, the door to the chapel opened and Arthur Weasley entered, breathing very hard. He walked briskly up to the altar and stood beside Ron. He smiled and patted Ron on the shoulder before winking at his daughter.

"Who gives this woman away?" the minister asked again.

Arthur nodded at Ron and said, "We do."

The rest of the ceremony went by very quickly and smoothly. At the reception, Ginny looked on as her father and Ron talked by the buffet table. _They weren't arguing, that was a good sign_, Ginny thought. Just then, Arthur gave Ron a hug, causing Ginny to smile.

Ginny was still smiling when Draco led her into the first dance. "You look very beautiful today," he said, kissing her temple.

"Thank you. So do you. The tuxedo makes you look so dangerous and sexy," she whispered, pinching his bottom discreetly.

"You're naughty minx. I might have to spank you later."

Ginny giggle and said, "Kinky."

"Do you mind if I cut it?" a familiar voice asked.

"Of course not Arthur. Carry on," Draco said, handing Ginny over to her father.

Arthur steered the both of them onto the dance floor and lead her into a slow dance.

"You look beautiful today Ginny. So radiant and happy," her father said softly.

"Are you still angry at me Daddy?"

"No sweetie. I'm not angry anymore. What Ron said those many months before, made me think. I could see that you weren't very happy. You were only happy when you went to see Tha- Draco."

"Thank you Daddy. It means so much to mean that you're here. Does Mom know you're here?"

"Gods no. I had to tell her I had an emergency meeting at the Ministry. I'm happy for you sweetheart and I know that he will treat you well."

"He will Daddy if he knows what's god for him."

Her father just laughed and hugged her tightly. "You're gifted with hexes, just like your mother. You're going to be fine. You're going to be just fine."

_A/N: Thanks to all those who read and reviewed. I didn't expect this story to have so much support as it had started out as a way for me to vent out my frustrations.__ I hope that you like is chapter. Please make my day and review. I really love hearing what you think of the story.___


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: I want to thank Melissa for giving me the idea for this chapter. I hope I didn't disappoint you with it. ___

Family Affairs Chapter 6

Two weeks after Ginny's wedding, Ron was at the Ministry and decided to drop by his father's office for a visit. He was glad that his father had come to his senses and came to the wedding. He felt very relieved that he wasn't angry at Ginny anymore and even seemed to accept Draco as Ginny's husband. Hermione had suggested that they invite Arthur over for dinner and tell him that they were getting married since they didn't have time to tell him at the wedding. Ron passed through the many corridors if the Ministry and had even bumped into Harry who was there to send a report. He finally arrived at the Ministry for Muggle Relations, where his dad was made Minister after Voldermort's downfall. 

Seeing that the secretary wasn't at her desk, Ron just gave a cursory knock on the door an entered.

"Hi Dad! I was wondering if……."

His voice trailed off when he saw the mess in Arthur's office. There were clothes scattered on the floor, a sock was hanging limply on the back of a chair and an unrolled sleeping bag was lying at the corner of the office. He looked up at his father who was smiling sheepishly and trying to kick the clothes under the table.

"Dad what happened? How long have you been sleeping in your office?" Ron asked, still gaping at the mess.

"Close to two weeks now. I didn't have time to clean it up today," said Arthur, waving his wand to magically clear up the mess.

"Why?"

"Your mother sort of found out I attended your sister's wedding and she sort of threw me out of the house," his dad said quietly. Ron saw that his father looked a bit gaunt and tired. There eye bags and dark rings under his eyes and he wasn't as clean-shaven as he was, two weeks ago.

"What happened dad?"

"Well, I had just stepped out of the Floo network……"

~ 

_Arthur was still smiling as he stepped out of the fireplace and dusted the soot of his clothes. He looked up and found a glowering Molly sitting at the sofa, wiping the smile away from his face. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she was tapping her fingers very impatiently. He knew that look very well. It was the look she gave all their children when they've done something wrong. Arthur could feel the blood draining from his face and he started to stutter, "M-  Mo-  Molly. It's wonderful to see you dear." He walked over to her, kissed her cheek, and tried to make a quick exit before she exploded.___

_"Arthur Weasley! Where HAVE you been?" she yelled, halting his escape.___

_"Been? I've been at the office. I told you early that I had an emergency meeting and had to rush off."___

_"__I flooed__your office__ and they said that you had the day off and there wasn't any emergency meeting so where have you been all day?" By this time, Molly's face was red and he could almost see steam coming out of her ears.___

_"Well…..ummm…you see……" ___

_Without __warning,__ she cast a spell that tied him to a chair.  She propped up his feet, took off his shoes and socks, and folded her arms across her chest, still holding onto her wand.___

_"You can tell me where exactly you went right now or we could do this the hard way."___

_"Now wait Molly. Don't be harsh. I really had an important meeting I had to attend," he pleaded and tried to wiggle his way out of the rope. Unfortunately, they were very well tied and wiggling only made the rope scratch his skin raw.___

_"The hard way it is." Molly casted another spell and a feather appeared and started tickling his bare feet. "Now tell me where did you go?"___

_"P- P- Please…. Hahahahahaha… Mo- Molly....Hahahahah …. __Make__ it stop! I'll tell you! I'll tell you! Hahahahaha!"___

_She stopped the tickling and looked at him expectantly. After gasping for breath and calming his racing heart beat, Arthur said quickly in a small voice, "IwenttoGinny'swedding."___

_"What. Did. You. _**_SAY_**_!"___

_"I went to Ginny's wedding," he repeated slower. He cautiously looked up and saw his angry wife, shaking with fury. He could feel the anger rolling off her like waves. He gulped audibly as he saw his wife going upstairs. Drawers and cupboard doors were heard slamming followed by thundering footsteps coming down the stairs. Arthur felt the ropes untied and he quickly got up to reason with his wife. His heart dropped when he saw that she had a bag of his clothes in her arms.___

_She threw the bag at his feet and said, "Don't come back here again! I want you to get out! Out!"___

_"But Molly…."___

_"OUT! Get out now before I hex you till next week," she said turning her back to him and walked out of the room.___

_Arthur sighed and picked up the bag. This is going to be a long week, he thought.___

~ 

"That's bad," Ron said, shaking his head.

"Yes it is. Enough about my problem, so what have you come to see me about?"

"Hermione and I want to invite you over for dinner. We've got something to tell you."

"Sure, I'll come over. All I need to do is to sneak back home and get some clean clothes. What time do you want me to come over?"

"About 7.30. Dad, it would be nice if mum could come too."

"I'll try son but if she's still angry at me…..."

"I'm sure she won't be dad. I'll see you at dinner then."

~ * ~

At the Weasley family home, Molly Weasley was scrubbing the steps on the back porch furiously, for the third time that week. The rest of The Burrow was sparkling clean and shiny, having been cleaned three times a day since she told Arthur to get out of the house. She put the brush down and wiped her forehead with her arm. She sat on the steps and took a deep breath. The summer air always refreshed and relaxed her muscles after a hard day's work. 

She looked around her garden to see if she can find anything else to do after scrubbing the steps. Her eyes caught sight of the old family swing moving in the breeze. All her children, especially Ginny and Ron, had loved playing on that old thing that Arthur had put up when Bill was three. So many memories were tied to it. 

Molly got up from the steps, walked over to the old swing, and gingerly sat down. She pushed herself on the swing gently and let the memories wash over her.

~ 

_Molly was in the kitchen preparing lunch while she kept an eye on Ron and Ginny who were playing in the garden. The Twins had been sent to their rooms for playing a prank on Percy. Percy had also gone to his room find solace away from his Twin younger brothers. ___

_They look so cute together, she thought as she saw Ron took Ginny's hand and helped her up from the sand box.___

_Ron led Ginny to the family swing and helped her get onto the swing. Molly was a little worried that Ron might not be strong enough to carry his __four-year-old__ sister onto the swing but she was proved wrong. After making sure that Ginny was sitting safely, Ron pushed the swing gently, causing Ginny to shriek with laughter.___

_"Push harder Ron. I want to go higher," Molly heard her daughter said.___

_"Only just a little higher ok? I don't want you to fall," Ron said.___

_There were more shrieks of laughter coming from the garden and Molly smiled. Ron had appointed himself as Ginny's playmate and protector ever since she was born. Ginny would always run to him if any of her brothers teased or bullied her. It warmed Molly's heart to see her two youngest children together.___

_After setting the table, Molly went out to the garden and called out, "Ron! Ginny! Come inside! It's lunch time!"___

_"Yes mum!" they said together.___

_Ron stopped the swing and helped his sister down before grabbing her hand. Both of them ran towards their mother and gave her a big hug each. Molly took their hands into hers and led them back into the house.___

~

When Molly felt something wet drop onto her hand, she snap out of her reverie. She touched her cheeks and found them wet with tears. She hadn't realised that she had been crying. Molly got up and went back into the house.

She sat down in the kitchen and rested her head on her hands. No matter how hard she cleaned The Burrow, she couldn't erase the memories of her children fro them. Even the kitchen table had as many memories, if not more, than the swing. The kitchen was the epicentre of the family. It was where everyone gathered if they could sleep, if they had a problem or just to talk. 

She missed her children so much. Ever since Ginny and Ron moved out, it's been so quiet around The Burrow. She felt so alone and unwanted. _I miss them so much_, she thought and broke down in tears once more.

~

Arthur flooed to The Burrow and stepped out of the fireplace as quietly as possible. He didn't want to be caught sneaking back into the house by Molly as he wasn't sure if she was still angry with him. He didn't want to end up in St. Mungo's will multiple hexes. He tiptoed past the kitchen and was about to go up the stairs when he heard sobbing coming from the kitchen. He turned around and headed to the kitchen where he found Molly crying into her arms.

"Molly? Are you ok?" he asked concerned.

"Arthur? Oh Arthur," she said. She got up from her seat and went over to Arthur, crying into his arms.

"What's wrong Molly?" Arthur led her to the living room couch and sat her down beside him. He rubbed her back gently and wiped away her tears.

"I miss them so much Arthur."

"So do I love but we can't expect them to stay here forever. They've all grown up now and will have a family of their own one day."

"I know you're right but I just can't help it. Especially with Ginny marrying that Malfoy boy."

"Molly, he makes her happy. That's what's important."

Molly remained silent for a few minutes, sniffing softly into a handkerchief. "Was she beautiful in the wedding?" she asked.

"She was stunning, love. Just like you were at our wedding." Arthur smiled at the memory of his wedding. 

"I wish there were photos of the wedding," Molly said softly.

As if on cue, a large brown owl flew through the window and landed on the coffee table. It dropped a rather thick envelope and flew back out. It was addresses to Molly so she picked it up and tore open. A whole stack of photos and a note fell out of the envelope. Molly picked up the note and it read:

_Dear Mum,___

_I hope that you are well. __I know you're still angry __with__ me and had declined the invitation to my wedding but that didn't stop me from wishing you were there. __Since you didn't come to the wedding, I've sent you the photos so that you cab see what you missed. There are some photos of dad at the wedding and I hope that you wouldn't be too angry __with__ him. __I miss you terribly.___

_Love,___

_Ginny_

Molly flipped through the photos slowly with tears brimming in her eyes. She turned to look at Arthur and said, "She's so beautiful. They look so happy together."

Arthur looked at the photos and smiled. "They are Molly. They are happy." 

Molly settled herself against her husband and they flipped through the wedding photos together.


	7. Chapter 7

**Family affairs **

Chapter 7

"Molly, hurry up or we're going to be late," Arthur shouted up the stairs to his wife. 

He paced back and forth in front of the fireplace; slight worried on how the dinner was going to be, with Ron and Molly being the same room for the first time since Ron left. He had sent a floo message to Ron to inform him the Molly would be joining them for dinner, as he didn't want Ron to be caught off guard at his mother's arrival. Arthur had managed to convince Molly to accompany him to dinner at Hermione's, after they finished going through Ginny's wedding pictures. He heard her come down the stairs and turned around. He smiled at her, taking in the image if his wife standing at the bottom of the steps, looking slightly nervous. 

"I don't think this is a good idea Arthur. I don't think he would want me there after the last time we saw each other," she said softly as she walked towards him.

"Don't be silly dear. He specifically asked me to invite you as well. Don't worry, everything will be fine." 

Arthur wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her to the fireplace. Throwing a handful of floo powder into it, he shouted out Hermione's address and stepped into the green fire, appearing at the other end at exactly 7.30pm. When Molly followed through the network and stepped out of the fireplace, she found Ron and Hermione already waiting for her. She could see their interlaced fingers and Hermione's thumb was stroking Ron's hand gently, easing some of his nervousness and stress.

"Mrs Weasley, it's wonderful you can make it," Hermione said, brightly, kissing the older woman's cheeks.

"Yes, thank you for the invite," Molly answered, not sure how to react. She looked at Ron who stared back at her, before he broke the contact and going into the kitchen.

Hermione and Arthur, who were looking at the two with anticipation, sighed in disappointment at Ron's reaction and shook their heads. Hermione then led Ron's parents to the dinning room and went into the kitchen to check in on Ron and bring the food out. She found Ron bracing himself on the kitchen counter, looking down at the floor.

"Ron, are you ok?" she asked softly, wrapping an arm around his waist.

"Not really, love. I'm not sure if this was a good idea to invite my mother. I don't know how to act or what to say to her. I'm just so confused," he whispered, gathering her in a hug and burying his face in her hair.

"Don't worry Ron. Things will be fine and I know that we'll work this out together. Now help me bring the food out before they start wondering what we're up to in here."

Dinner was a very awkward affair. Arthur and Hermione seem to be the only ones holding a conversation. They talked about everything, from her job at the Ministry to answering Arthur's questions about the different Muggle items in the apartment. Molly, who was sitting beside Arthur, ate her dinner quietly and stared down at her plate, not wanting to see her son's sombre expression. He wasn't eating his dinner at all, even though it was his favourite. Ron was just pushing the vegetables and meat around the plate keeping quiet and not looking up. The conversation that Hermione was having with Arthur ended and an uncomfortable silence settled onto the table. 

"Why don't we move the living room for coffee," Hermione said, shattering the silence. 

Hermione adamantly refused Molly's offer to help her clean up, saying that Ron was more than enough help. After carrying all the dirty dishes into the kitchen and using a little bit of magic to clean up the mess, Hermione brought out a pot of coffee and a plate of tarts. The four of them sat around the living room, drinking quietly when Arthur placed his cup down gently onto the table and asked, "So, what is the actual reason you invited us over Ron?"

Ron was quiet for a moment and answered, "We actually want to tell you, both of you, that Hermione and I are getting married."

"That's wonderful son. Congratulations!" Arthur said, standing up and giving both of them a big hug. "Isn't this great Molly?" He turned around and looked happily at his wife. Molly put her cup down and stood up. She was smiling tremulously and her eyes were bright with unshed tears.

"Yes Arthur, it is," she said softly. She crossed the room and gave Hermione a hug. She released Hermione and went over to Ron with opened arms. "Oh Ron, I'm so happy for you. I've missed you so much and I'm so sorry about a the things I said." Her tears were streaming down her face and Ron could feel it soaking through his shirt.

"I'm sorry Mum and I've missed you too. Hermione and I were worried that you would still be angry at me and not want to come to the wedding."

"My baby boy is so big now and getting married to fine young woman. I know both of you will take care of each other," she said, looking up and cupping Ron's face in her hands. "I'm just so happy for you." Ron hugged his mother close, letting her tears flow freely.

After another 30 minutes of congratulations and preliminary wedding planning, Molly and Arthur left. Ron drop into a couch and pulled Hermione to sit down beside him. She leaned against him and rested her head on his chest.

"How do you feel now Ron?" Hermione asked.

"Very relieved and happy. I'm just glad that she's not angry with me anymore but I'm not sure how Mum and Ginny going to react, being in he same room." 

"Relax Ron. Your mother not being angry with you anymore is the first step. Both of them will settle their differences soon."

"I hope so. I'm so glad that Mum and I settled our problems, because I couldn't eat anything at dinner due to the stress and worry. Now that I've got my appetite back, I'm starving and I really hope there's enough left over for me."

"Don't worry, I cooked a very large serving and it's all for you."

"Well, you know what they say; a way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

"That definitely applies to you."

"Would you like to join me for a second round of dinner?"

"It would be my pleasure."

Both of the stood up and headed for the kitchen, hand-in-hand.

~          *           ~

As Hermione and Ron agreed on having a summer wedding, they only had three months to plan everything. Once they heard that Molly and Ron had settled their problems, the older Weasley children and their wives went over to Hermione's, to offer their congratulations and help with the wedding planning. They had even gone to visit Ginny without Molly's knowledge, not wanting her to blow up if she found out. The sisters-in-law started a weekly wedding planning meeting at Hermione's place. It was during one of these meetings that Molly and Ginny met up for the first time since the Molly's birthday.

Ginny was sitting at the couch in front of the fireplace with Angelina and Katie, flipping through the bridal gown magazine while the rest of her brothers' wives were at the dining table, going through the different cake and flower designs. The fire suddenly flared green and Molly stepped out of the fireplace, carrying a large box. She shook the soot out of her hair before looking up, and found herself face to face with her daughter. The Ginny and Molly stared at each other warily, not knowing what to say to the other. The tension of the room was so thick; you could almost slice it with a knife.

"Mrs Weasley, when did you arrive?" Hermione said from the doorway between the dining room and the living room, disrupting the tension.

"I just arrived dear and please call me mum," Molly said, smiling at her future daughter-in-law. She gave one last look at her daughter before moving into the dining room. Ginny felt sad and guilty for not being able to talk to her mother the way the used to when she was younger. She sat back down onto the couch, resting her forehead in her hands. The tears she had been holding since her mother went into the dining room trickled down her cheeks and onto her hands.

"Ginny. Ginny are you ok?" Angelina asked softly. Katie, who was sitting on Ginny's other side, rubber her shoulder gently, trying to calm her.

Ginny wiped her tears away with the back of her hand and took a deep breath. "I'm alright. I think I'm just going to go home now. Draco should be coming home any minute and I haven't prepared anything for dinner." Ginny stood up and collected her bag form the chair. She stood in front of the fireplace and hollered, "Hermione! I'm going home now because Draco's going to arrive home in a few minutes and I haven't gotten anything prepared for dinner yet. I'll call you soon alright?" Before Hermione or any of her other sisters-in-law could respond, she had apparated.

Back in the kitchen, the dining table was quiet and all eyes had focused on Molly, who was standing by the kitchen window, looking at the darkening sky. As the sun set, no one could see the tears pooling in her eyes. 

That was the last time both Molly and Ginny were at the meetings at the same time. From that day on, Hermione would make sure that either one had left before the other arrived so as not to cause more heartache and tension.

~          *           ~

The weeks changed to months and before anyone knew it, the day of the wedding arrived. The wedding was held at a chapel where Hermione had attended as a child. The chapel was packed with friends and family, with three pews taken up by the Weasleys alone. Hermione looked radiant as her father escorted her down the aisle. Parvati Patil, who had become a famous designer in both wizarding and Muggle fashion, designed her wedding dress. It was simple yet stunning. The puffy sleeves of the dress fell just off the shoulders, with the bodice of the dress hugging her figure tightly. The skirt of the dress had layers upon layers of silk, embroidered with beads. Around her neck, Hermione ore a white ribbon with a sapphire pendant that belonged to her mother. Her hair was curled and piled onto her head, with tendrils framing her face. 

Hermione looked so happy and she couldn't stop smiling. Ron had been very fidgety while waiting at the altar but he stopped instantly when the door opened and Hermione stepped in. The ceremony went smoothly and the guests cheered when the new Mr and Mrs Ronald Weasley were introduced. Ginny sighed with happiness as her brother and his new wife were showered with rice when they went out of the chapel. Ginny leaned back against Draco's chest and felt his arms wrap around her, and sighed once more. She was feeling very contented. She turned around to say something to her husband when a sudden wave of dizziness struck her. 

"Draco, catch me," she said and promptly passed out.

"Ginny! Ginny, wake up!" Draco exclaimed at his wife's limp form in his arms. 

There was instant panic among the Weasley clan and everyone gathered around Draco. Ginny was quickly admitted to St. Mungo's and Mr and Mrs Weasley took turns with their children and their wives, to stay with Ron and Hermione at the reception while the rest of them stayed with Draco. When the reception ended, Ron and Hermione joined the rest of the family and Harry at the hospital, still in their wedding clothes. Funnily enough, Dean Thomas was also there. Draco saw Dean place a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder but didn't pay any mind to it, as he was too worried about Ginny.

It seemed like eternity before the doctor came out from the room. He looked up from the charts and asked, "Mr Malfoy?"

Draco immediately stood up from his chair and hurried over to the doctor. "What's wrong with her doctor? Is she going to be ok?"

"Relax Mr Malfoy. She's going to be fine."

"So what's wrong with her?" George piped in.

"Congratulations Mr Malfoy. Your wife's pregnant."

Draco stared at the doctor with his mouth gaping, letting the doctor's words sink into his brain. He slowly turned around and looked at his in-laws. "I'm going to be a father," he said hoarsely. His eyes then rolled back and he passed out, falling to the floor very hard.

A/N:  Another Update. I'm not really happy with it but I don't how to make it better. Please tell me what you think. Thanks J 


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: About the Ginny fainting thing, some women have dizzy spells and they faint. I don't really know anyone that fainted during pregnancy though. __Anyway, it's the last chapter (sob sob). This story has been great to write and thank you for all the reviews I received. Please review and tell what you think of this chapter. Please tell me if you want an epilogue. Enjoy! __ ____

**Family Affairs******

Chapter 8

Ginny opened her eyes to a whitewashed ceiling and a heavy sterile smell in the air, disorienting her. She tried to sit up but a hand stopping her from getting up. 

"Relax Ginny. Don't try to get up," she heard someone say.

"Draco, is that you? Where am I?" she rasped. She turned and saw him pressing and ice pack to his head. "What happened to you?" 

Draco turned a light shade of pink before he answered, "Honey, you're at St. Mungo's. You fainted after the ceremony today. Doctor said you're going to be fine."

"But why did I faint? I don't have dizzy spells," she asked, looking perplexed.

"You're pregnant Ginny. We're going to have a baby!" he exclaimed. 

Ginny gaped at him in shock. "We're going to have a baby?" Draco nodded enthusiastically, the melted ice in the ice pack, sloshing madly. "But that still doesn't answer my question, why do you have an ice pack on your head?" She heard him mumble something but she couldn't understand him. "Can you repeat that please? I can't hear you."

"Ipassedoutwhentheytoldmethenews," his words coming out in a rush.

"Can you repeat that slowly please," she said, emphasising on the word slow.

"I passed out when they told me the news. Apparently, I knocked my head rather hard on the floor when I fell."

Ginny looked at him for a moment before bursting out laughing. Draco looked at her slightly miffed, causing her to laugh even more. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh at you but I really hope that someone took a picture of you on the floor, all passed out. "

"In fact we did, actually," they heard a voice from the door. George was leaning against the doorjamb with a digital camera dangling by its strap on his finger. "Angie had brought this to take pictures of the wedding but it came in handy just now," he said as he walked towards his sister's bed. He gave her a peck on the cheek and showed her the picture of a comatose Draco on the floor. Another one of a still unconscious Draco with his finger up his nose, courtesy of Harry and Ron, followed that picture. 

"When I get my hands on you brother….." Draco said squeezing the ice pack so tightly in his hands that it burst, showering his pants with ice-cold water. "Argh!" Draco exclaimed and walked to the bathroom, muttering curses under his breath.

George looked at Draco and back at Ginny. "Why did you marry such a weird person, I'll never understand," he said, shaking his head.

Ginny shook her head and smiled at her brother. She lay back down and snuggled under the covers, waiting for Draco to return from the bathroom. When he came out, his pants were dry again but he still didn't look very happy. George left the couple, promising more incriminating pictures of unconscious Draco, causing Draco to scowl even more.

"Lighten up love. You know how the Twins are. The more you try to resist their tricks and pranks, the more they'll try to get you," Ginny said gently, calming her husband down.

"Ok but they scare me," he said.

"It's alright. They scare Snape too, so you're not alone," Ginny assured him, patting him gently on the hand. "Draco, would you hold me?" she asked meekly.

Draco brushed away the strands of hair away from her face and looked into her eyes. "Scoot over," he said, taking off his shoes. Once she moved aside, Draco climbed onto the hospital bed and gathered her into his arms. He stroked her hair gently as she dozed off with her head on his chest. As he was about to doze off too, he saw Molly enter the room quietly.

"Don't wake her. I just want to see how she's doing. Please take care of her and please don't tell her I came in," Molly pleaded. When she saw Draco nod, she gave him a small smile and kissed her daughter lightly before leaving the room.

_I wish Ginny were awake to see that. Then, she would know that her mother's coming around_, Draco thought as he drifted off to sleep.

~          *           ~

After her discharge from the hospital, Draco had started working from home, to keep Ginny company. They had moved back to Malfoy manor so that Narcissa could keep Ginny company when Draco had to go for business trips. Draco was happy to be at home the whole day with Ginny and his mother but the novelty quickly wore off, especially when Ginny's fluctuating hormones made her emotionally volatile.

It was after a very tiring morning of rushing around to get the different things that Ginny was craving; Draco collapsed into the lounge chair and sighed. _I went out to Muggle London ten times,_ he thought to himself. _Ten times! First, it was the Peking duck. Then it was the pizzas, the pastries, the strawberries, the roast chicken, the Thai food, the chapatti, the five different flavours of ice cream, tonnes of chocolate and the crisps. I just hope that she gets over this phase soon or I'm going to go broke._

Ginny had gone up to their bedroom for a nap, much to his relief. He wasn't sure which was worse, the emotional rollercoaster or the cravings. Draco had asked his mother about Ginny's cravings and her emotional fluctuations but she wasn't much help since when she was carrying him, the pregnancy was fairly easy, with minimum discomfort.  Draco sat up, rubbed his face and sighed. There's only one person left he could ask all things related to pregnancy. He went up and left a message for Ginny, telling her that he had gone out for a while. He grabbed his wand and his coat before apparating to his destination.

~

Molly was in the kitchen checking up on the apple pies that were baking in the oven when she heard knocking on the front door. After washing her hands, Molly opened the door and found Draco standing on her doorstep. 

 They stared it each other for a minute before she greeted him "It's you. Would you like to come in?" 

"Thank you," he answered and followed her into the kitchen. 

She sat him down and the kitchen table and poured him a cup of tea. "So what brings you here?" she asked, seating herself in front of him.

"It's about Ginny," Draco began.

"Is she alright? Did something happen?" Molly asked, her heart dropping to her stomach as visions of Ginny falling and losing the baby floated through her head.

"No, no, don't worry. Nothing happened to her, she's fine. It's just that she has all these mood swings and cravings and I don't know how to handle it. I tried asking my mother but she didn't have any of these things when she was pregnant with me," Draco said.

After hearing Draco's explanation, Molly sighed with relief. She took a sip of her tea and thought about what to say to her son-in-law.

"She's into her fifth month now right?" she asked. When Draco nodded, she continued, "If she's anything like I was when I was pregnant, it's just going to get worse before it gets better."

"It's just going to get worse?" he whined. He laid his head on his hands and groaned. "So what do I do?" 

Molly looked the man before her and she could see that he genuinely loved and cared for her daughter. _Why couldn't I see that befor__e_, she thought. _It would have saved so much heartache, tears and Ginny and I would still be in talking terms._ Molly sighed into her tea before looking up and proceeded to tell Draco on how to keep an emotional expectant mother happy.

Twenty minutes later, Draco stood up to leave. At the front door, Molly laid a hand on Draco's arm and said, "Draco, I want you to know that I'm not angry at Ginny or you anymore. I want to apologise for being so mean to the both of you before. You are not your father and I know you'll take very good care of Ginny."

"Thank you Molly. That means a lot to me," Draco said sincerely, hugging the older woman.

"Draco, please come by anytime you want and update me on Ginny's progress. I would go over but I don't think she would want to see me after all the things we've said to each other."

"Molly, I don't think –"

"Please, just don't tell her? I don't want her to cut me from her life. The past months have been hard and I don't want to go through that again," Molly interrupted him, her eyes pleading with him.

"Alright, I won't tell her I came here," he sighed, giving in.

"Thank you. Come back soon," she said to him as he walked out. She saw him turn around and wave before apparating. Closing the door, she thought, _Ginny had chosen her husband well._

It became a weekly routine for Draco to come to the Burrow every Saturday to update Molly on the happenings of the week. They would sit in the kitchen, drinking tea and talking, mostly about Ginny and the pregnancy. Sometimes, Arthur would join them at the kitchen table. Molly always looked forward to Draco's visits since Draco always brought news and pictures of Ginny. One Saturday afternoon, as Molly was making tea while waiting for Draco's arrival, she heard the fireplace roar to life. She looked to see who had arrived and saw Draco's head sticking out in the fire.

"Draco, what are you doing?" she asked.

"Molly, I can't come today. Ginny's in rampage about something," he said. The sound of shattering glass behind him made Draco wince. "She's here and she's throwing things at my person. I've got to go."

"Ok. Take care and owl me when things are fine," she said but Draco had already cut off the floo connection.

Back at Malfoy Manor, Draco pulled his head out of the fire and found a very pregnant and angry Ginny tapping her foot at him. Her arms were on her hips and she was scowling.

"Who were you talking to?" she demanded.

"Ummm, no one?" he answered.

"Don't you dare lie to me Draco Malfoy! I heard a woman's voice. That's where you go every Saturday isn't it!" she screamed.

"Umm…….ummm….."

"You're having an affair aren't you! It's because I'm fat and ugly now right?" she screamed, her tears splashing down her cheeks.

"WHAT! NO! Where did you get that idea from?"

"You're always disappearing every Saturday. When I ask you about it, you give me vague answers if you answer me at all. What do you expect me to think!" Ginny dropped herself into the sofa and brushed her tears away furiously.

Draco kneeled down in from of her and reached to hold her hand but she slapped them away. She stood up to walk away but he held onto her hand and hugged her tightly.

"Ginny, I'm not having an affair. I love you and only you. You're not ugly or fat, you're gorgeous.  Why would I want to find someone else when I'm married to an amazing woman. Just like her mother."

"Just like……my mother?"

"That's where I've been every Saturday, Ginny. I've been going to the Burrow for a few months now."

"You've been going to the Burrow? I don't understand. She let you into the house?"

"She been helping me understand what you go through during the pregnancy, so that I could help you out and make thing easier for you. She's not angry anymore Ginny."

"Then why doesn't she talk to me the last time I saw her?" Ginny said softly.

"Both of you are very proud women and you don't want to admit when you're wrong. She's also afraid that you're still angry with her. She loves you and misses you Ginny."

"I miss her too."

"I know, love."

~          *           ~

Over the next few days, Ginny had decided to make up with her mother and invite her entire family, including Harry, to dinner that Saturday. She anxiously waited for the replies from everyone and sighed with relief when everyone, including her parents had agreed to come for dinner.  Once she had all the replies, she began planning the menu and decorations with the house elves.

On the day of the dinner, Ginny was making last minute checks on everything when a sudden shot of pain ripped through her abdomen, causing her to fall to her knees. Her back and lower abdomen had been throbbing since the morning but she just dismissed it as nerves. When the pain ebbed away, she managed to crawl a few steps before the pain ripped through her again. She screamed for Draco and prayed that the pain would go away soon.

"Ginny! What happened?" Draco exclaimed when he found his wife curled up on the kitchen floor.

"Baby…..coming," she managed to gasp before another wave of pain flooded through her.

Draco felt his face went pale and rushed over to pick her up into the living room. He placed her onto a pile of cushions before throwing a handful of powder into the fireplace.

Arthur was in the living room reading the Daily Prophet when Draco's screams rang from the fireplace.

"Molly! Molly, I need help," Draco screamed.

"Draco, calm down and tell me what happened?" Arthur said, taking in Draco's pale face and Ginny's pain-filled groan from behind him.

"The baby's two weeks early and I don't think there's time to go to the hospital. Please, somebody help. She's in so much pain," Draco said, almost in tears.

"Calm down, you're no good to her all flustered up. Wait with her, Molly and I will be there shortly," Arthur said. 

True to his word, Arthur and Molly arrived at Malfoy Manor within five minutes. Draco was sitting beside Ginny, telling her how beautiful she was and to be patient as her parents were coming over. 

"YOU try to be patient when a baby's trying to come out from you!" they heard her scream at him.

"Ginny, that's not the way to talk to you husband," Molly admonished. Draco looked ready to cry when he saw them. "Draco, get the elves to boil lots of water and bring some clean cloths over. Arthur, floo St Mungo's and ask if they have a mid-wife who can make house calls. I don't think I can do this alone," Molly barked orders at them like an Army General. Once they left, Molly turned back to her daughter and asked, "How are you feeling dear?"

"It hurts Mama. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for being such a bad daughter to you. I'm so sorry," Ginny started to cry.

"I'm sorry to baby. I'm sorry for not seeing how much you love each other. I'm so happy that you found someone who loves you as much as you love him," Molly said, tears pooling in her eyes. "Now, take a deep breath and grip my hand when the pain comes."

Draco came back with three elves carrying piles of clean cloths and basins of hot water. He took over Molly's spot and held onto Ginny's hands while whispering encouragements and wiping her sweaty forehead. Every time the contractions hit her, he was convinced that she broke one of his bones from how tightly she held his hand but he would rather break all the bones in his body than see Ginny in pain. He continued to wipe her forehead while silently praying for the labour to end so that she won't be in so much pain.

The labour was relatively quick as four hours later, the new, pink and wrinkled Malfoy heir entered the world screaming at the top of his lungs. He was in such a rush to meet his parents that he didn't wait for the mid-wife to arrive. When both mother and son were cleaned and lying in bed, Molly came up to see her daughter and her new grandson.

"How are you feeling now Ginny?" she asked as she sat down on the bed.

"Very tired but happy," Ginny answered, giving her mother a small smile. "I've missed you Mum."

"I've missed you too Ginny and I'm so sorry for treating you so badly."

"I'm sorry too, for all the things I've said."

"Draco makes you happy?"

"Yes Mum, more than anything."

'That's good. I know he treats you well but I still wished you had married Harry instead."

Molly looked puzzled when Ginny burst out laughing. "He wouldn't marry me even if I wanted too. Mum, Harry's gay. He's been going out with Dean Thomas for almost two years now. He just didn't tell you about it because he didn't know how you would react."

"No wonder he always looked uncomfortable when I mentioned how nice it would be if he would marry you," Molly said thoughtfully. "Well, all that's in the past. I'm glad that you're happy. My baby girl's all grown up with a family of your own. I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks Mum."

Draco came in a few minutes later as Molly was leaving. He climbed into to bed beside Ginny, gathered her into his arms, and kissed her lips.

"Everything alright?" he asked.

"Everything's perfect," she said and drifted of to sleep.


	9. Epilogue

**Family Affairs******

Epilogue

Ginny looked out the kitchen window and smiled at the scene. The tables were set in the back garden, and the trees and bushes in the garden twinkled with fairy lights. A banner with the words, **_Happy Birthday Mum_**, waved in the slight breeze. Beneath it, all her brothers and Draco were placing the plates and silverware on the place mats, talking and laughing, pushing each other out of the way. 

Ginny washed her hands and turned to the kitchen where her sisters-in-law were putting the final preparation on the food. Hermione was sitting back with her hands folded on her very pregnant tummy as she inspected all the food. Hermione and Ron's first child was due any day now and she looked like she was more than happy to have the pregnancy over and done with.

Ginny heard the children laughing and stepped out into the living room, and saw Harry tickled by all the Weasley grandchildren. Dean watched his boyfriend under the pile of children and laughed, as he patted the baby he was holding, gently. He paced and cooed at the strawberry blonde baby on his shoulder. 

Ginny smiled at the scene and walked up to Dean. The moment her son saw her, he started jumping in Dean's arms, his arms opened, calling for his mother.

"Ma! Ma!" Jacob gurgled.

"Come to Mama Jake," Ginny said taking the baby from Dean's arms. "Have you been a good boy with Uncle Dean?"

"He's been a good boy Gin. Don't worry," Dean assured her, rubbing the baby's head fondly. 

"Thanks for watching Jacob for me Dean. I really appreciate it," Ginny said, kissing him on the cheek.

"It's a good thing I know you're gay or I would have pound you to the ground for being in such close proximity with my wife," Draco said from the kitchen door. He walked over to his wife and son, and kissed her soundly on the lips before picking Jacob up.

"Of cowse he's gay Unca Dwaco. Who wouldn't be happy to celebwate Nana's Biwthday," Sarah, Fred's daughter piped in, causing the adults to laugh. Sarah looked at them in confusion, not understanding the joke. Thinking that it must be some obscure adult thing, she shrugged and went back to tickling Harry.

"Hey there Jake!" Draco said, rubbing his face on the baby's tummy, causing the boy to laugh.

"Da! Da!" Jake said, jumping up and down in his father's arms.

Draco tossed the baby into the air and caught him, nearly giving Ginny a heart attack. The drooling baby squealed and waved his limbs about, wanting to be tossed again.

"Draco! You might drop him," Ginny admonished, her hands on her hips.

"You know I won't do that, love," Draco said, holding Jake over his head. He made faces at the baby, making the drooling baby to laugh even more. "Eeww!" he said, as a glob of baby drool fell into his eye. He passed Jake over to his wife and wiped the drool away.

"Serves you right for tossing him about. It's a good thing it was only drool. If he had just eaten….." Ginny said, leaving the implication in the air.

"Fine, fine.  No tossing him about," Draco said. _Not when you're around at least_, he added silently. He kissed the top of Jake's head wrapped his arms around his family. If two years ago today, someone told him that he would be accepted at the Burrow with Ginny in hand, he would have thought them crazy.

"I love you Ginny," he whispered.

"I love you too Draco," she replied, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Da! Da! Ma! Ma!" Jake cried to his parents, waving his fists about.

"We love you too Jake," Draco said, kissing the top of his head. Jake smiled, revealing two tiny teeth on his upper gums and started sucking on his fist.

"I've got to change his diapers and clean him up before Mum and Dad comes back. Why don't you, Dean and Harry wait out in the garden for them," Ginny said.

"Sure," Draco said, kissing his wife on the cheek before he left, followed by Dean and Harry. Ginny hummed to her son as they went upstairs for a diaper change.

Fifteen minutes later, Ginny and Jake stepped out to the back garden and saw that everyone was lounging around the garden waiting for the guest of honour to arrive. One of her brothers, Bill most probably, had brought the radio out and it was playing a very cheery, dance-worthy tunes. Fred, Angelina and their children were already happily dancing to the song. Ginny scanned the garden for her husband and found him sitting on a bench under a tree, having a very animated discussion with Dean and Harry. Ginny saw Dean placing his hand on Harry's knee and smiled. _They look good together_, she thought. _I'm glad that Mum didn't make a fuss about Harry's choice of partner. _As she got closer to the men, she heard the words Hornets, Beaters and Harpies. _Quidditch, why am I not surprised_, she thought. 

"Ginny tell that… that… peasant over there that the Wasps are way better than the Harpies," Dean said, pointing a finger at Draco.

"Let me remind you the Malfoys were NOT and NEVER will be peasants. Anyway, the Wasps were only at their peak when Ludo Bagman was in the team but since then, they suck. Almost as bad as the Canons," Draco said.

"Hey! I heard that! Canons WILL win the league this year," Ron shouted from the other end of the garden where he was sitting with Hermione.

"That's what you've been saying for the past fifteen years Ron," Charlie said.

"Shuddup Charlie!" Ron shouted.

"Boys! Boys! Enough! No more arguing about Quidditch. Mum will be back any minute now so-"

"What's all the racket?" said a voice, interrupting Ginny.

All heads turned the kitchen door and saw Molly and Arthur smiling at them. 

"Mum! Dad!" said all the Weasley children as one. Molly and Arthur walked down the steps and their many grandchildren surrounded them, demanding hugs and kisses. After obliging every one of them, Molly walked over to Ginny and took Jake into her arms.

"There you are my little one," Molly said, kissing the gurgling baby. "I've missed you Jake." She said, tickling him, making Jake laughed and babbled in baby language. 

"But you just saw him two days ago when you babysat him, Mum," Ginny said.

Before Molly could answer, George piped in, "Are we just going to exchange pleasantries or are we going to eat? I'm hungry." 

"That's right," Fred said, supporting his twin.

"All right, all right. Everyone take a seat," Ginny said as she beckoned everyone to the tables laden with food. 

Everyone thoroughly the dinner since all the women had learned to cook from Molly. Molly was enjoying her birthday very much; with Jake on her lap, she had her coffee.

Then Bill along with Charlie stood up went to the kitchen to get the enormous cake that Ginny baked. When they got back, the table was empty of all dishes. Placing the cake in the centre, Bill charmed candles on and said, "Happy birthday Mum!"

After blowing out the candles, Molly said, "Let them eat cake!" She proceeded to cut the cake and passed it to everyone. One of her boys had turned the radio back on and a slow played. Draco saw Ginny sitting with Hermione near the back porch. He went up to her and said, "Would you like to dance milady?"

"I would love to," she answered. 

"Why don't I take him? You kids go have fun," Ron said, taking Jake with him.

"Thanks Ron," Ginny said, kissing him on the cheek. 

Ron sat down beside his wife, with his nephew on his lap, and wrapped his arm around Hermione. Throughout dinner, he saw Hermione occasionally grimace and rubbed her back.

"Are you alright Hermione?" he asked gently.

"I'm just a bit uncomfortable. My back hurts slightly," she said, caressing his face. "Don't worry, it'll go away soon."

Ron was still worried but said nothing. Both of them turned and looked at the dancing couples, Draco and Ginny, Molly and Arthur, and the rest of his brothers with their respective partners. Harry and Dean were sitting near the family swing, talking. 

"I'm glad that Molly and Ginny worked things out. Both of them were so unhappy before," Hermione said, resting her head on Ron's shoulder.

"Me too, love," he answered as he watched Draco dancing with Molly and Ginny dancing with their father. Just then, Hermione gave a violent shudder and groaned. "What's wrong Hermione? Is everything ok?" Ron asked anxiously.

"I just had a contraction. It really hurts," Hermione whispered.

"I'll go get Mum," he said, rushing over to his mother.

Molly came over with Ginny and Draco on tow. "Hermione dear, how are you feeling?" she asked.

"A little sore," Hermione said, rubbing her tummy gently.

"Why don't we get you inside and get you a cup of calming tea. Then we see how far the contractions are." 

Ron helped Hermione into the house and settled down next to her, stroking her hair and kissing her, helping her stay calm. The next contraction came within twenty minutes as Hermione was trying to drink her chamomile tea. Molly quickly told Ron to floo Hermione to the hospital.

Ginny, Draco and the rest of the Weasleys stayed at the Burrow while Molly and Arthur accompanied Ron and Hermione to St Mungo's.  The wait was long but twelve hours later, Arthur's head popped out from the fire to inform the rest of the family that the newest addition to the Weasley clan was a healthy boy, weighing 7 pounds with lungs as powerful as Molly's when she was angry. 

When Molly returned to the Burrow sometime later, she found Ginny in the kitchen, drinking tea.

"What are you still doing up? It's late. Where's Jake and Draco?" Molly asked sitting down opposite her.

"Draco brought Jake home. He was fussy and cranky so Draco brought him home to let him sleep," Ginny said, pouring Molly a cup of tea. "So how's Ron and Hermione doing?"

"They're great. Ron couldn't stop smiling. He's staying at the hospital with Hermione."

"That's good. Hermione was more than ready to have the baby. I saw her talking to her tummy once, telling the baby to hurry up."

Molly laughed and said, "I did that when I was having Fred and George. They were a rambunctious pair even in the womb."

Ginny laughed at that and stood up. She cleaned her cup and turned to her mother. "I better be going now. Jake might need his nappy changed and Draco's helpless when it comes to that."

Molly accompanied Ginny to the fireplace and placed a hand on Ginny's arm before she threw the powder in. 

"I love you Ginny," Molly said, hugging her daughter.

"I love you too Mum." 

~

Later that night while Ginny was climbing into bed, Draco asked, "You've been smiling since you came back from the Burrow. What's up?"

"Nothing," Ginny said, still smiling when she thought about her current relationship with her mother. "Everything's perfect. Just perfect."

With that, Ginny curled up next to Draco and went to sleep, feeling contented with her life.

A/N: And so ends the story. I hope all of you have enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please read and review, and tell me what you think about it. Cheers!


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